Gunman Kills TSA Worker at Los Angeles Airport

A gunman opened fire at the Los Angeles International Airport, killing one person before being shot and taken into custody.

Contact Editor

Elad Benari, Canada, 01/11/13 20:16 | updated: 21:50

People leave terminal 2 after shooting at Los

Reuters

A man pulled an assault rifle from a bag and shot his way through security at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing one Transportation Security Administration worker, wounding as many as three others and sending terrified travelers diving for cover and fleeing onto the tarmac, authorities and witnesses said, according to NBC News.

The gunman was shot by law enforcement and taken into custody.

The shooting started at about 9:20 a.m. local time at Terminal 3. The gunman took out the rifle and opened fire at the security checkpoint, then went far into the terminal, where he was captured after exchanging fire with law enforcement, authorities said.

Federal officials, citing initial information, told NBC News that the suspect was a U.S. citizen in his early 20s.

The airport said that seven people were injured in all, but the nature of the injuries was not clear. UCLA Medical Center said it had one patient in critical condition and two in fair condition. One of the TSA workers was shot in the leg, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

President Barack Obama has been briefed on the incident and the White House is in touch with law enforcement, a White House spokesman said.

Federal officials told NBC News that it was unclear whether the gunman was targeting the TSA or was trying to shoot his way through to get further into the airport. The gunman was in critical condition, officials said.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)